Carol Van Natta
Author's Website: https://author.carolvannatta.com/
Carol Van Natta's Central Galactic Concordance series is a great example of what I like to call a "popcorn series," because as with a big bowl of popcorn, you just keep reaching for the next bite. And I don't mean that in a disparaging way - there's a reason popcorn is a favorite snack for so many people: It's light, tasty, and not unhealthy like so many other snack foods. In this, as with other "popcorn series," the plots are interesting, the characters are appealing, and they are well-written and well-paced.
Events in the Central Galactic Concordance universe take place in the far future of humanity, where faster-than-light travel and terraforming technology has expanded humanity's population to over 500 planets. The government, besides the usual government functions we're all familiar with, also manages "Minders" - humans with psychic abilities like telepathy and telekinesis - through its Citizen Protective Service (CPS). The series includes five linked novels in the main sequence (with a sixth expected in Spring of 2026), and six novellas that take place on separate planets unrelated to the main sequence (and all except one features exotic pets). They are all romances, although the action never takes a back seat to the relationship, and the romantic aspects are "clean" - intimate moments happen off the page.
The plot of each novel is generally simple - one couple, one mission with all the action (sometimes a lot!) required to resolve the situation - and often include characters from the other novels. However, the main sequence also includes an over-arching plot line: the Minders are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the conduct of the CPS, which has become increasingly authoritarian and abusive. Thus the main sequence books are best read in order, to follow the brewing rebellion. Some of this discontent is also present in the novellas, but they don't really advance the "rebellion" aspect of the main sequence.
The first novel in the series is Last Ship Off Polaris-G. If you like that, just go ahead and buy the rest of the series, because you'll want to have the next "bite" handy as soon as you finish it!